US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference 2024

The US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference 2024 will be held September 22-24, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This will be the 23rd annual event in a series of ongoing conferences addressing the future of U.S. defense cooperation with Taiwan, the defense procurement process, and Taiwan’s defense and national security needs.

The first session will examine the possibility of a broader regional and global approach to the current Taiwan threat picture, assessing potential regional allies and the capabilities they could bring to a coalition-based response. Panelists on the second session will discuss the current Grey Zone situation in the Taiwan Strait – not just the PLA’s incursions into the Taiwan ADIZ, but will also appraise the various political, economic, and information operations targeting Taiwan.

The third session will analyze existing and possible mechanisms to appropriately resource Taiwan’s deterrence and defense efforts, both on the U.S. side and in Taiwan. The fourth session will build on the discussion in session two to look at how Taiwan could meet potential alternative coercive measures such as a quarantine or blockade, and how U.S. industry could play a role in preparing for such a contingency.

The fifth and final session will examine how the outcome of the 2024 U.S. elections may affect the future of this important bilateral relationship, with a particular focus on issues such as Foreign Military Sales (FMS), co-production, and the delivery backlog of systems for Taiwan.

Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Keynote Addresses & Conference Program

Keynote speakers will include senior representatives from the Taiwan and U.S. governments. Conference sessions at the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference feature a moderator and several speakers on the panel, and some sessions may include additional commentators. Each speaker gives a short presentation on the session topic from his or her own viewpoint and expertise. Those presentations are then followed by a moderator-led discussion among the panelists, as well as a moderator-driven question and answer period with the attendees. This format offers the maximum amount of time for exchanges among the panelists, as well as between the panel and the audience, allowing the sessions to become a forum for substantial and valuable interaction and discussion.

Conference Registration

If you are unable to submit the registration form, please try again from a different network location (such as your home computer). You can also use the printable/fillable PDF registration form and submit it via email. If the issue persists, or if you have questions about conference registration in general, please contact the US-Taiwan Business Council directly at (703) 465-2930. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Conference History

The first conference in this series was the St. Petersburg, Florida event where former Taiwan Minister of National Defense Tang Yiau-ming gave the keynote address in March 2002. The second conference in the series was held in February 2003 in San Antonio, Texas, the third in October 2004 in Phoenix, Arizona, the fourth in September 2005 in San Diego, California, the fifth in September 2006 in Denver, Colorado, and the sixth in September 2007 in Annapolis, Maryland.

Taiwan’s Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min gave the keynote address at the seventh conference in the series, held in September 2008 on Amelia Island, Florida. The eighth conference was held in September 2009 in Charlottesville, Virginia, the ninth in October 2010 in Cambridge, Maryland, and the tenth in September 2011 in Richmond, Virginia. The eleventh conference was held in September 2012 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the twelfth in September 2013 in Annapolis, Maryland. The thirteenth conference in October 2014, the fourteenth in October 2015, and the fifteenth in October 2016 all took place in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The sixteenth conference was held in October 2017 in Princeton, New Jersey, while the seventeenth conference was held in October 2018 in Annapolis, Maryland. The eighteenth conference took place in October 2019 in Ellicott City, Maryland. The nineteenth conference took place as a virtual event online in October 2020, while the twentieth conference was held in October 2021 in Leesburg, Virginia, the twenty-first in October 2022 in Richmond, Virginia, and the twenty-second in Williamsburg, Virginia in October 2023.

Philadelphia Sky & Skyline